What's the Buzz? Test Your Knowledge of Honeybees

Bees and other pollinators are crucial for our food supply. In recent years, researchers have found worrying evidence that pollinators are adversely affected by climate change, which in turn could affect our food security. How much do you know about the common honeybee?

The 2018 winter die-off of bees was the most destructive die-off since 2006, when the Bee Informed Partnership began recording data. What factors are thought to contribute to winter honeybee die-off?

Changing honeybee habitats

Limited diet diversity

Varroa destructor mite infestations

All of the above

Correct!

Wrong!

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According to the Bee Informed Partership’s data, which state was among the worst hit by bee die-offs?

Wyoming

Louisiana

Iowa

California

Correct!

Wrong!

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Worker and drone bees can sense the loss of a queen bee due to what special quality of the queen?

The queen’s unique buzz, or “queen’s song”

They see she is gone, since she is the largest type of bee

The queen’s pheromones, or “queen’s substance”

Scientists are not sure how they sense a missing queen

Correct!

Wrong!

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What special skill of worker bees acts as a last resort for a dying colony?

They can lay unfertilized eggs, which produce only drones

They can scout out and join nearby hives

Some workers can spontaneously become queens

They can steal a queen from a neighboring hive

Correct!

Wrong!

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When drones are not mating with queens or congregating with each other, what are they typically doing?

Building hives

Making honey

Patrolling the area

Eating and sleeping

Correct!

Wrong!

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What fraction of the American diet is directly or indirectly affected by bee pollination?

1/6

1/5

1/4

1/3

Correct!

Wrong!

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What is one of the first signs if colony collapse disorder (CCD)?

The colony stops producing honey

There are almost no adult bees, but also few dead bees near the colony

There is no queen bee

There are many dead bees near the colony

Correct!

Wrong!

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Much research has been done on the effect of climate change on bee colonies. Which of the following is a plausible theory for how climate effects bees?

Bees cannot handle higher temperatures, and suffer from heat stroke

Severe weather disrupts honey-making activities

Bees become disoriented during thunderstorms, which are becoming more frequent

Bees are not shifting geographically to make up for habitat loss due to climate change

Correct!

Wrong!

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What incredibly profitable crop, that is already under fire for using excessive amounts of water in drought-ravaged areas like California, may also negatively affect bees?

Apples

Corn

Almonds

Tomatoes

Correct!

Wrong!

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What cutting-edge technology could be used to help bees fight off the Nosema ceranae parasite?

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